Chapter 392
Inside the Yeontae-ri house, after Yoo-hyun left.
Lee Young-nam sighed deeply as he leaned back on the sofa.
“Ah, I already miss him.”
“Boss, it’s only been an hour since Han left.”
“I know. He was such a great help. How can a young guy be so smart and talented?”
Lee Young-nam expressed his regret again, and Bae Yong-hwan, who was browsing the newspaper, chimed in.
“They say you can tell a person by the company he keeps. The guy who came from America seems pretty sharp too.”
“Oh, the one who sang in English out of nowhere? Nah, he’s nothing compared to Han. He can’t even drink properly.”
“That’s right. Han is incomparable, huh? Oh, b-boss.”
Bae Yong-hwan’s eyes widened as he pointed at a page of the newspaper. Lee Young-nam leaned forward to see what it was.
“What’s that… Oh my.”
The two men’s gazes were fixed on an article.
<Hanseong Group’s Crown Prince Shin Kyung-wook, Promoted to Executive Director as Soon as He Returned to Korea. Is This a Preemptive Move for the Chairman Succession?>
Under the rather long title, there was a large photo of Shin Kyung-wook smiling.
His neat hair parted to the side, his thick eyebrows and deep double eyelids.
He had a face that was hard to forget once you saw it.
Lee Young-nam trembled as he spoke.
“Who did I drink with?”
Shin Kyung-wook’s appearance, who had been promoted from director to executive director, was quickly noticed by the media.
The news spread fast enough for the people of Yeontae-ri village to know.
Shin Kyung-wook had been keeping a low profile, so his impact was significant.
The royal family and other executives of Hanseong Group were shaken by his sudden emergence.
Some people were already wondering where to align themselves.
But that was mostly a matter for the upper echelons of the company.
Inside Hanseong Electronics, especially the LCD business unit mobile group, people were stirred up for a different reason.
Hanseong Tower 12th floor, outside the sales marketing office.
Lee Ae-rin’s eyes widened as she received a message from the group leader’s secretary.
She quickly typed a reply on the messenger window.
-Sis, is it true that Han is coming back?
-I heard it from the executive director. He already transferred out. He said he’ll take a vacation and come back.
-Okay, sis. I’ll buy you dinner later.
Lee Ae-rin opened another messenger window and typed.
She left her words on group chat rooms such as female employees’ meeting and secretaries’ meeting.
-Everyone, Han Yoo-hyun is coming back.
At the same time, the company messenger traffic surged.
Hanseong Tower 13th floor, inside a conference room.
“Choi team leader, you must be clueless because you’re new here. You can’t handle this matter so lightly. This is how it works in the TV group…”
As the TV team leader kept nagging at her, Choi Min-hee team leader’s expression hardened.
She raised her hand to her throbbing forehead and saw a phone pushed in front of her.
Jang Joon-sik next to her whispered nervously.
“T-team leader, Han…”
Choi Min-hee team leader’s lips curled up as she checked the message.
The man who was talking stopped abruptly.
“Choi team leader, are you mocking me? You can’t meet the factory schedule like this. You know that?”
“No. I’m listening. Please continue.”
“Huh? Are you suddenly acting relaxed? Did you get a strong backup or something?”
“Yes. I got a very reliable ally.”
As Choi Min-hee team leader showed unexpected confidence, the people in the conference room looked puzzled.
Ulsan new factory 3rd floor.
Lee Jin-mok supervisor sat on the floor after finishing the final module inspection line check.
“Seriously, why are they pushing us so hard with this innovative product TF? It’s too much.”
Maeng Ki-yong manager and Min Su-jin senior engineer also complained as they sat next to him.
“They mixed us with other groups and now it’s a mess. Sigh.”
“I know right. They listened to us once or twice and now they’re dumping
“Let’s do one more final check. We can’t burden the planning team.”
“Crazy bastard.”
The team members who were displeased with Yoo-hyun’s return spat out harsh words.
The impact of his comeback was not limited to the LCD business unit. It also affected the mobile phone business unit.
Jang Hye Min, the leader of the pre-design team who urged the development team to make a high-end smartphone, was one of them.
So was Kim Sung Deok, the manager of the product planning team who insisted on using a super-high-resolution LCD panel for their device.
And Kang Chang Seok, who was developing a smartphone OS as Yoo-hyun had told him, even though his boss was against it.
They all had different reasons to welcome Yoo-hyun’s return.
“Finally, things will go well.”
Similar words came out of their mouths.
And the news spread not only within the company, but also to faraway Gwanghwamun.
In front of the conference room on the first floor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade building,
Jeong Da Hye received a phone call from her cousin Jeong Da Bin during her break.
“…”
-Yoo-hyun oppa is coming back. Why aren’t you answering? Can’t you hear me?
“I heard you. And I already knew.”
-Oh, when? You’re in touch with him without telling me?
“Forget it. I have a meeting. I’ll hang up.”
Jeong Da Hye hung up and thought of Yoo-hyun.
She had heard that he was coming back, but she didn’t expect it to be so soon.
She shook off her thoughts and turned her head to sit in her seat in the conference room.
The meeting started soon after, and as soon as the moderator opened his mouth, people’s eyes turned to Jeong Da Hye.
Beep.
She turned on the microphone on her desk and scanned around.
Their expressions were not full of anticipation, but rather contemptuous.
She put on a confident smile as if she was used to it and opened her mouth.
“I will present what our Sprint Company has prepared to successfully host the G20 Seoul Summit.”
Her clear voice flowed through the microphone.
At that moment,
Yoo-hyun was sitting on the porch of his hometown house, answering a phone call.
-Do you know how messed up Hanseong Electronics’ mobile phone business is? I really thought you wouldn’t come back, Mr. Han.
Why was he talking about mobile phone business with a deputy from LCD business unit?
He understood his frustration, but he didn’t have time to deal with Oh Eun Bi, a reporter, for long.
“Yes, reporter. I’ll see you when I get there.”
-Make sure you do. Please.
As soon as Yoo-hyun hung up, his father, who was sitting across from him with a round table, smiled.
“You have a lot of people looking for you since you’re coming back.”
“Yes. They must have been bored.”
“Kid. They probably have no one to work with.”
“That’s right. I’ll have to work properly when I go back.”
Yoo-hyun smiled faintly and tilted his bottle of makgeolli that he got from Lee Young Nam.
There were already two empty bottles next to him.
His father emptied his glass in one gulp and grinned with his flushed face.
“Will you be okay if you rest too much? How are you going to work?”
“What if I can’t? I’m going to enjoy my work life from now on.”
“Puahaha. That’s right. Live happily. That’s what matters.”
His father laughed and hit the table at Yoo-hyun’s cool answer.
In the meantime, he emptied another glass and reached for a new bottle with his other hand.
Yoo-hyun nodded and asked with a worried look.
“Yes. I will. But won’t mom scold you if you drink too much?”
“It’s okay. Your mom is busy and will be late. Just sleep when she comes.”
“It feels like you and mom switched roles.”
“Hehe. So what? It’s enough to drink with my son leisurely.”
His father had changed a lot too.
Just as Yoon Tae Ri became a turning point in Yoo-hyun’s life, his mother’s success seemed to be a catalyst for his father.
His father looked much lighter after putting down his burden from his shoulders.
Yoo-hyun offered his father a glass and enjoyed this moment.
“That’s right. Dad, have a drink.”
“Sure.”
The two men clinked their glasses and laughed together.
Yoo-hyun’s stay in Yoon Tae Ri was shorter than his dispatch period in Ulsan.
But it left a significant aftermath.
Was it because he had been completely cut off from the company for a while?
His ordinary life felt quite different from before.
He felt awkward wearing a suit and a tie.
He took the bus and the subway to work, just like he used to.
He felt a new sense of novelty as he walked on the sidewalk blocks among the crowd.
As he was lost in thought, he suddenly heard a loud voice.
“Mr. Han, hello.”
He turned his head in surprise and saw Jang Jun-sik, who looked like he had been waiting for him. He gave a wry smile.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to show you the new office location.”
“You already told me where it is. Do you think I can’t find it by myself?”
“I’ll escort you anyway.”
Jang Jun-sik gestured to the inside of the building and answered cheerfully.
Was he always this friendly?
Yoo-hyun chuckled and followed him.
He saw a newly opened coffee shop, a 100-inch TV installed on the wall, and a newly decorated ceiling.
The changes in the building reflected the gap in his career.
And Jang Jun-sik’s kind explanation filled the gap in his work life.
“The current organization is different from before…”
Jang Jun-sik was his junior who had reported to him every day by text and email during his transfer period.
He appreciated his diligence, but he didn’t need to hear the same stories again.
Yoo-hyun tapped his shoulder as they walked through the lobby.
“That’s enough. Thank you.”
“No, thank you. I’ll work harder. And the project progress is…”
But Jang Jun-sik continued his explanation with sparkling eyes.
He was stubbornly persistent once he got started.
Yoo-hyun decided to let him be and smiled.
He knew what Jang Jun-sik was feeling.
Trudge trudge.
He listened to his passionate junior’s talk as he walked.
Thump thump.
A man rushed out of the elevator with an urgent expression.
Yoo-hyun excused himself from Jang Jun-sik and stopped him.
“Mr. Kwon.”
Pause.
A familiar face looked around.
Yoo-hyun approached him with a smile on his face.
“Long time no see, Mr. Kwon Sung-hoe.”
“Hmm, Mr. Han.”
Kwon Sung-hoe’s face twisted at the unexpected encounter.
But he quickly put on a mask as if he deserved his position as a manager.
Yoo-hyun smiled at his former boss who was trying hard.
“I was going to greet you anyway, but I’m glad to see you again.”
“We’re not that close.”
He snapped back and Yoo-hyun shrugged.
“Thanks to you, I got transferred to a nice place.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“Oh, nothing. I just thought you wouldn’t go as far as getting me an award for my sake. But I did get one and came back.”
Yoo-hyun pretended to be innocent and mocked him.
His eyebrows twitched.
He tried to control his expression, but he couldn’t hide the tremor at the corner of his mouth.
Sneer.
“Don’t delude yourself that your luck will last forever.”
“I’m always careful.”
“…”
“I’m happy to see you more often now.”
Yoo-hyun’s innocent smile was the final blow.